€1.1m worth of illicit cigarettes seized in Meath

Over 1.5m illicit cigarettes were seized with the help of detector dog Bill. Picture: Revenue

Revenue officers have seized a substantial amount of illegal cigarettes and a large sum of cash in search operations in recent days.

During routine operations on Tuesday, Revenue officers, with the assistance of detector dog Bill, seized over 1.5m illicit cigarettes.

The 'Rothmans' branded cigarettes were discovered in a commercial premises in Co Meath. 

They originated in Belgium and have a retail value of over €1.1m which represents a potential loss to the exchequer of around €919,000.

€13,700 was seized at Dublin Airport last week. Picture: Revenue

In a separate operation at Dublin Airport last Thursday, officers seized €13,700 in cash.

Routine profiling

This was the result of routine profiling when officers stopped and searched a passenger prior to boarding a flight to Zurich, Switzerland.

It is suspected that the cash is the proceeds of, or is intended for use in, criminal activities.

On Friday, Dublin District Court granted Revenue officers a three-month cash detention.

Investigations into both seizures are ongoing.